Scraps of Paper
by Eman1314
Summary: My collection of Nalu one-shots, hope you enjoy!
1. Operation Nalu

"Alright everybody, listen up!" Mira growled, her eyes glowing slightly and a dark presence swirling behind her. The rowdy guild instantly went silent, sinking back into their chairs in fear. Mira gave them one last glare before her sweet aura came back with a smile. "I assume you all know why you're here, right? I think we all can agree it's time for Natsu and Lucy to get their acts together."

"I'm sick of those side long gazes they keep tossin' at each other," Gray huffed, crossing his arms over his bare chest.

"Gray, clothes," Lisanna whispered from behind him, carefully avoiding her gaze. Gray looked down at himself in surprise before muttering curses and getting up to look for the missing articles. Juvia nearly fainted as he passed by, having to be held up by Jet and Droy.

"I agree with Th' Stripper," Gajeel spoke up, leaning on the table with a sigh. "Salamander talks a big talk, but he can't even get the guts to tell Bunny Girl he likes 'er. It's jus' pathetic." He shook his head sadly.

"Like you're one to talk, Gajeel, have you told Le-" Gajeel cut Wakaba off with a harsh glare that sent the old man falling off his barrel. The small blue-haired Mage beside him gave him a curious look before turning to Mira.

"I also want Lu-chan to be happy! I'm tired of seeing them deny their feelings," Levy piqued up, glancing discreetly at Gajeel. The iron dragon slayer coughed and looked away, a small blush on his cheeks.

"Well said, Levy," Mira said with a nod, turning back to the guild. "So then we're all in agreement; we are going to get Natsu and Lucy together!"

Most of the guild cheered in agreement, but still a few looked skeptical.

"Not that I don't want Blondie and Salamander to be happy and all, but what do we get outta it?" Laxus called from the back corner, sounding incredibly bored. His troop also nodded, murmuring about rewards. Mira smirked at this, giving a wink to Laxus before smirking down at the guild.

"I'm glad this was brought forth, but I've already come up with a solution. Let's have a little competition, shall we? Everyone must put in 200 jewels. You can work in groups or by yourself, but whoever gets the two of them together will get the money."

"Hmm, there's about 30 of us so that's what...6,000 jewels? Heh, I'm in," Gray smirked, returning to his seat fully clothed, although who knew how long that'd last.

"I will definitely get those two together! It's manly!" Elfman roared. A bunch of other guild members began bickering and teaming up. Juvia latched onto Gray as soon as the bickering started, glaring threateningly at anyone who came close to her Gray-Sama.

"Wanna team up, Mira-nee," Lisanna asked, skipping up to her sister.

"Of course! Together we will be the ultimate matchmaking team!" Mira began to laugh evilly. Lisanna giggles along with her and together they start planning out operation Nalu.

When Lucy came into the guild the next day, she picked up the change in atmosphere quickly. All the guild members smirked evilly at her, and Cana did a catcall that left her blushing and confused. Then Levy came up to her, smiling and clutching a book in her hands.

"Morning, Lu-chan!" She cheered, holding out said book so Lucy could see it was the latest update to her story that she'd given the girl the previous day. Lucy knew Levy liked her story, and she knew the bluenette worked fast, but she was still surprised to see she'd finished it so quickly.

"Good morning Levy-chan, did you finish already?" Lucy asked, grabbing the book from her outstretched hands. Levy nodded excitedly, her smile growing larger.

"Oh, yes, and it was a very good chapter Lu-chan! One of your best!" Levy gushed loudly, drawing the attention of a couple closer guild members. Lucy noticed Laxus' pack watching her from the back corner intently, causing shivers to counter the blush on her cheeks.

"Oh, thanks Levy-chan! Anyway, I won't be done with my next one for a while so you'll have to wait...uh," Lucy pulled Levy over to the side, away from the stares of the guild. "Is there something I'm missing? Do I have something on my face?"

"No, I have no idea what you're talking about," Levy said, her cheer a little too forced. "But Lu, there was something I wanted to ask you about your chapter."

"Um, okay," she nodded, thrown by the direction of this conversation.

"Well," levy said, looking down bashfully, "it's just that your story has a really strong theme of love, and I think it's great, but you told me you've never been in love before. How can you describe it so accurately?"

"Hmm, I guess I-wait. Did you just ask how I described it so accurately?" Lucy smirked, looking down at the bluenette. Levy's face instantly went red, and she began to shake her head viciously.

"I-I wasn't insinuating that I knew what love f-felt like, I've just read m-many books on it. T-that's all!" She said indignantly, blushing harder when she saw the smirk on Lucy's face.

"Oh I perfectly understand Levy-chan," Lucy nodded, leaning forward. "Is it Gajeel?"

"N-n-no! Why would you think that, Lu-chan!" Levy cried, slapping her cheeks and shaking her head. Lucy laughed and patted Levy's arm comfortingly.

"Don't worry, I won't tell metal head," she assured. Levy nodded thankfully, but then looked up at Lucy questioningly.

"Metal head? Isn't that what Natsu calls him?"

"Hmm? I guess it wore off on me," Lucy shrugged, giving Levy a smile. "So what's really going on here? Unless I've done something to Laxus, I don't think Team Thunder over there should be staring me down so intently."

"Oh, I don't know," Levy shrugged, swirling a strand of hair around her finger. "Where's Natsu, he usually comes down with you. Even happy's not here."

"Natsu went fishing with Happy. I passed up in the offer, but I think I might be reconsidering since half the guild looks like they want to devour me," Lucy glanced around nervously.

"Well, I should get going," Levy said suddenly, smiling at Lucy. "Good luck!" She turned and ran off.

"Good luck with what?" Lucy called after her, but didn't hear the reply as someone wrapped their arm around her shoulders, and the smell of booze filled her nose.

"Lucy," someone slurred. Lucy narrowed her eyes.

"Cana."

Levy ran out the back door of the guild, unsurprised to see a familiar dark haired dragon slayer leaning there. He stood up as she stumbled out, watching her with dark eyes.

"How'd it go, shrimp?" Gajeel asked and Levy's face went bright red again with memory.

"Not good, she turned the topic around and I couldn't get it back, but I do know where Natsu is," she said helpfully. She was surprised when Gajeel and Lily had suggested teaming up, and she didn't want to be dead weight. She bowed her head slightly, and was pushed down even more when someone put their hand on her head.

"Ya did good, shrimp. Bunny girl is pretty tricky unless you ask 'er head on, I shoulda told ya that." Gajeel removed his hand a Levy looked up to see him smiling, turning her body to mush. She smiled back, then remembered what she was going to say.

"Right! Lucy said Natsu and Happy went fishing and I remember she told me they fish at Mooberry creek because Happy likes the trout there," she related.

"Great, guess we're goin' fishin. You stay 'ere Shrimp, we'll wrap this up," Gajeel waved and started off, his nose leading him towards the salamander. Levy waved after him and sighed, going back inside the guild with a smile on her face.

"So, you and Natsu," Canna said, pulling away to look at the blonde. Lucy had been uncomfortably dragged to the back of the guild, and was now sitting in a chair in the cellar, surrounded by Mira, Lisanna, and Cana.

She jerked at Cana's sudden and rather suggestive question. "What're you talking about? Natsu and I are just partners."

"Don't give us that crap, Lucy," Mira said sweetly, but her smile was evil. "We all know you like him. It's obvious."

"Well then you all need you eyes checked, because I don't like him," Lucy said, glancing up at Lisanna. "Come on, you don't seriously believe this, do you? What happened to you liking him?"

"Oh, that was ages ago. Besides, I saw how he looked at you and knew anything I did would just get in the way of true love," she gushed, and Lucy felt her sliver of salvation slip away.

"Well, there's no true love because I don't like him and he doesn't like me," Lucy insisted firmly, although her cheeks were pinking slightly.

"Your cheeks say otherwise," Cana sang teasingly.

"Just because this is a weird conversation," Lucy fought back, willing the heat away.

"I heard you and Natsu sleep together, is that right?" Mira queered, and Lucy couldn't keep the blush from lighting up her face.

"T-that's misinterpreted. We only sleep in the same bed, not t-together," Lucy shivered at the thought.

"I still count it. What's it feel like, being so close to all that heat? Oh, do you two cuddle? Natsu seems like a cuddler," Mira squealed.

"N-no we do not!" Lucy denied, even though she had woken up on many occasions where here face was pressed into his arm and his other arm wrapped around her waist. She also didn't admit that in those moments she felt really happy, like nothing could touch her and-she forced her mind to stop thinking, her face feeling on fire.

"I think you do, and I think you like it," Cana laughed, smirking evilly.

"Alright fine!" Lucy gave in. "So what if I like him, just a little bit? He's too dense to notice anything!" She fought, folding her arms. The three girls above her shared a look.

"I wouldn't worry about that for too much longer, but I say you should go straight up to him and tell him," Lisanna suggested, placing her hands on Lucy's shoulders.

"W-what? No way! He'll just laugh at me, or reject me, or something!" Lucy tried to escape their grip, but all three had latched onto her like leeches and were carting her rudely up the stairs, despite her protests.

The whole guild turned to watch as the three carted the struggling blonde up into the main room, knowing perfectly well what was going on and sighing in defeat.

"Juvia and Gray-Sama did not even get a chance!"

"You three just dragged her off!"

"Look, it's happening!"

Different shouts and cheers surrounded Lucy as they carted her towards the only brightly colored head in the mass of people.

"Hey Natsu! Lucy has something she wants to tell you," Mira called, and said pinkette turned away from talking to Gajeel to look at the girl's hostage curiously. He looked surprised to see it was Lucy, despite that Mira had just told him so, and looked a little...flustered?

"Um, why are you dragging Lucy over here?" Natsu asked quitly, but his voice carried as suddenly the entire guild quieted. He blushed slightly, looking around questioningly.

"That's because Lucy has something to tell you," Mira said, pushing the blonde forward. Lucy looked limp and absolutely petrified in the she-devil's grasp. Natsu frowned, not liking the nervous aura that was surrounding the blonde. He remembered Gajeel's words from earlier, about a dragon's need to always protect one person. He was smart enough to know the iron slayer had been pointing towards Lucy, but it was odd to feel and recognize the sensation.

"I-I-I...um, I...I...I'm not doing this," she shook her head and hands in denial, trying to turn away, but finding herself face to face with three angry girls. Natsu watched with narrowed eyes as they corralled Lucy forward, and Cana even reached forward and, with a smirk, pushed Lucy back. The blonde tripped over the many feet around her, and Natsu moved forward quickly, wrapping both arms around her waist and pulling her back against his chest. As it always seemed to happen when he held her, Natsu began to feel warmer and knew that his face would have been a blushing mess if he'd had a skin color as light as Lucy's.

"Oi! What was that for?" Natsu growled, glaring at the giggling girl. Usually he'd think she was drunk, but she seemed uncommonly sober.

"We can't let her get away before she confesses," Cana explained, laughing again. Mira elbowed her in the side, causing her to gasp, while Natsu frowned in confusion. He still had his arms around Lucy, despite the fact that she seemed to be trying to escape his grip.

"Confess what?" That stilled the struggling blonde. She seemed to deflate as she turned slowly. Natsu noticed her red cheeks and the fear in her eyes, causing apprehension to bloom in his stomach. "What's going on?"

"W-well, I um," Lucy bowed her head, taking in a deep breath. "Natsu I like you! I've liked you for a long time, so long I think I might love you!"

The whole guild went silent, including the fire dragon slayer. Lucy was still shaking though, and now her whole upper body seemed to go red. She tried to step back, out of Natsu's grip, but suddenly he was pulling her towards him. She squealed when her cheek hit his chest, swallowed up by his warmth.

"I love you too," he said, and it took Lucy a minute to realize that he was whispering. His breath was warm and tickled her ear, but it still made her feel weak.

"R-really?" She gasped, clutching his vest.

"Yup!" He exclaimed, suddenly sweeping her legs out from under her. She screeched when her feet left the ground and closed her eyes, expecting to drop. Instead she felt someone grab her back and suddenly she was being kissed.

Natsu's lips were warm and kind of dry, but Lucy didn't think that anything had tasted sweeter. She sunk into his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. He pulled away a moment later and smiled down at her. She was shocked to see that even his dark skin had a red flush to it.

"Now you're mine," he said lowly, smirking. The next second he had her in his arms and was walking through the crowd, glaring at all the others. "Forever," he said, and exited the bar.

It was quiet for a long minute. After that minute though there were cheers, especially loud from the three girls who were now holding 2,000 jewels each.

"Told you it'd work!" Mira said, practically crying.

"Ultimate matchmaking team!" Lisanna yelled.

"Oh, i'll have so much booze," Cana cried, hugging the jewels.

"Hey, we get some of that money, too," Levy spoke up, crossing her arms. The tall man beside her also frowned, his cat hissing.

"What? No way," Cana shook her head, holding her money closer. "We were the ones who got Lucy to confess."

"And we were the ones who brought the fire idiot here," Gajeel supplied, smirking evilly as the realization dawned on the other three.

"What a bummer," Mira sighed, handing over half of her jewels to Levy. Lisanna gave half to Lily and Cana reluctantly handed over half of her share to the glaring dragon slayer.

"You know, we could make a business out of this," Lisanna said later on, after most of the guild had calmed down.

"You're right," Cana hiccuped, slamming down her mug and smiling. "And I think I've got the perfect candidates."

"Already ahead of you," Mira giggled. All three girl's eyes darted over to the trio who'd stolen half of their hard earned reward. Lisanna laughed.

"Revenge will be sweet."


	2. Medicine

Natsu knew it was a bad idea as soon as his friend/enemy pulled out two plane tickets, but what was he supposed to do?

Gray's brother, Lyon, had skipped out on him for their yearly trip to the South Islands to hang out with his girlfriend, so he turned to his sort-of-kind-of best friend for company. He knew about the pinkette's serious motion sickness; a number of his other friends also suffered from the same 'disease' as they called it, but he also knew Natsu just could not deny a week trip under the sun. He'd be crazy to. And Gray was right; Natsu couldn't refuse.

"Ugh, just looking at it makes me wanna puke," Natsu grumbled, leaning back in his chair with a particularly green face. Gray looked up from his phone, glancing at his pathetic friend before turning towards the viewing window to see the large airline plane they would be boarding. Natsu gurgled sadly, already feeling the food he'd had for breakfast beginning to surface. Gray had refused to let the flame head buy anything at the airport, already nervous to be sitting in the same row as this idiot regardless. He didn't need thoughts of puking to make his trip any less enjoyable than he knew it was going to be.

"Then don't look," he replied coldly, turning back to his phone and texting his girlfriend goodbye. Juvia responded quickly, wishing him good luck with his ailing friend. Gray grimaced and put his phone in his pocket and turning to his friend. "Don't you have patches or something? I thought Lisanna bought you some."

"She did, but it's not working," he groaned, sinking in the chair. A few people looked over curiously, but no one seemed to be all that sympathetic for the crazy pink boy. Gray couldn't blame them.

"You're just letting it get to your head, you'll be fine on the plane," Gray assured him, glancing at the clock. Natsu grumbled sadly, but he didn't catch what he said as their flight was called.

Gray sighed in relief and stood up. He glanced down, noticing Natsu's grip on his chair and sighed again before grabbing the pinkette's arm. Natsu squeaked pathetically as he was harshly yanked to his feet. Gray muttered something under his breath and dragged the boy towards the line of people.

It wasn't too long of a line, which Gray was thankful. Less people to see the idiot beside him.

"Hello! Welcome to Fairy Flights! I'm Tina, you're main flight attendant. Do you have your tickets?" The woman was small with short dark hair and two big blue eyes. With the large, totally fake smile on her face, she reminded Gray distinctly of a Barbie doll.

"Here," Gray huffed, holding out two tickets to the lady. She blinked in surprise, eyes locking onto Gray's face. He sighed mentally when the look in her eyes changed and her smile became sultry.

"Well, well, what are you going to the South Islands all by yourself for?" She asked in a low voice. Gray cringed at the sound of it and felt his stomach turn uncomfortably.

"I'm not alone," Gray started, and then smirked. "I have my boyfriend right here." He pulled Natsu forward, the poor boy looking a confusing mix between angry, sick, and annoyed. Gray threw an arm over his should before the pinkette could fully understand the situation and began pulling him forward past the stunned attendant. "Come on, darling."

"Get your arm off me you pervert!" Natsu yelled, the situation finally dawning on him.

"Ah, what a joker," Gray chuckled, tightening his grip to a choke hold and dragging the sputtering boy through the door. He only released the squirming pinkette when they were out of view from the Barbie woman. Gray pushed Natsu away, laughing loudly.

"Ugh! Look at what you've done! I've got all your disgusting stripper germs over me now," Natsu exclaimed, wiping his clothes disdainfully.

"Did you see that woman's face?" Gray was still laughing. "Priceless!"

"You take too much enjoyment from people's misery," Natsu grumbled, starting down the long hallway.

"Really? Then I guess I'm about to get six hours of fun, huh?" Gray joked. Natsu shoved him. "I'm joking, I'm joking!"

It took a little bit of pushing, some convincing, ands lot of yelling and threats being thrown out, but Gray finally managed to drag Natsu onto the plane.

"Ooh," Natsu blubbered, slumping lower in his chair while clutching his ailing stomach. "I'm gonna be sick."

"The plane hasn't even started moving," Gray reminded him without looking up from the magazine he'd bought. Natsu glared at the boy, a look that he didn't see, and groaned again. Someone from the other aisle sent him a look, but he didn't care. He was in pain, dammit!

"Attention all fliers, we are now going to be taking off. Please return to your seats and buckle up. Please leave all food stands up and turn off all electronics. Please..." Natsu groaned again, blocking out the rest of her words.

"Hear that Natsu?" Gray asked, putting down his magazine and looking over at the pinkette.

"Yeah, yeah," he sighed, reluctantly pushing himself up and slipping on his buckle. Just as he did so a flight attendant appeared.

"Hey there boys, all buckled in?" She asked sweetly. Natsu looked up at her, pausing slightly. She wore the same blue and white uniform as every other attendant they'd seen so far, but somehow she made it look better. She was slim, the curve of her waist easily visible and with large breasts. What really caught his attention however was her face, which was gazing down at him curiously. She had long pale blonde hair that reminded him of white-gold and a pair of large, shinny chocolate brown eyes. She wasn't smiling, rather she was...frowning? Natsu wanted to see her smile.

She opened her mouth, said something, but Natsu couldn't hear it over the thundering in his ears. For a second he feared the plane had taken off while he was distracted, but he quickly realized that they were still immobile. No, the thundering in his ears was nothing other than his heartbeat. Somehow it had picked up sound and pace.

"Is your friend okay?" She asked, and Natsu was able to hear her this time. She wasn't looking at him anymore, but rather Gray.

"He gets motion sickness, it's no big deal," Gray explained, elbowing Natsu in a silent effort to tell him to stop being so obvious. Natsu didn't notice though, his pain suddenly seemed a hundred miles away. He was more focused on why his heart was beating so loudly, or why his skin was so hot and sweaty, or why the flight attendant was so pretty.

"Oh man," the girl sighed, looking at him sadly. "I'm sorry about that...Actually I might have something to help!" She turned, heading down the aisle quickly.

"Heh, what a nice lady," Gray huffed, turning back to his magazine. "It won't help though. If those patches Liz bought you don't even work, I doubt whatever she's got will help."

"Help what?" Natsu asked dazedly. Gray glanced up at him but just rolled his eyes and grumbled something about idiots.

It took the woman a few minutes, but she returned with a glass of water and a small pill bottle. "Here you go!" She held it out for him, smiling. "Make sure it's okay for you to eat. I don't want to poison you or anything."

"It's fine," Natsu assured her, barely taking a glance at the medicine. She smiled at him and held it out. Carefully he reached out and took it. He felt his whole body freeze when his fingers accidentally brushed hers. His heart picked up even faster and his whole arm was tingling by the time he pulled it away. Even the girl looked surprised, glancing down at her hand before smiling sheepishly at him.

"Sorry about that, I hope this helps!" She informed him. Natsu quickly took the water and downed two pills. He opened his mouth to thank her, but suddenly the announcer said the plain was going to be taking off. Natsu felt like he could've punched the announcer right then, but the attendant just smiled. "Have a good flight, gentlemen. Hope you feel better, Natsu!" She turned and left.

"Did you hear that?" Natsu asked as soon as she was gone, gripping Gray's shirt. The boy choked, surprised.

"What?" He griped, trying to pull away.

"She knew my name!" Natsu laughed, feeling incredibly happy for some reason. "Wait, how did she know my name? What's her name?"

"How should I know?" Gray asked in response to both questions, pausing. "You seem pretty excited...are you feeling better?"

"Feeling better?" Natsu asked in confusion, frowning. He looked down at his stomach when he realized what the boy had meant. "Oh, yeah! My stomach doesn't hurt at all now!"

Gray gaped at the boy and then snatched the pill bottle from his hands. He examined it carefully, but it looked like normal ibuprofen to him. "Are there drugs in this?" He wondered aloud, taking off the top. Natsu took it back quickly, holding it protectively to his chest.

"Those are the ladies!" He argued, glaring.

"Those are fucking magic is what they are," Gray said, narrowing his eyes at the bottle. "We've tried that before, haven't we?"

"Maybe her's are better than yours," Natsu said stubbornly. Gray, annoyed, tsked and shook his head, giving up.

"Whatever! Just make sure you ask her where she got them from," he said, slumping back into his chair. Natsu felt his heart jump at the idea of talking to the lady again. He sat back in his chair, trying to calm his racing pulse.

Natsu woke with a start as someone tapped his shoulder. He blinked sleepily, turning to see Gray rising out of his seat.

"Come on, idiot. We're there," he grumbled, sounding quite tired himself. Natsu groaned, refusing to move. Gray sighed and rudely pushed him out of the seat.

The plane was mostly emptied by now, with only a few struggling passengers still leaving. Natsu slowly grabbed his luggage from the overhead compartment and made his way down the isle. They passed by a flight attendant who wished them a happy vacation.

It took Natsu halfway through the terminal to realize what he'd missed.

"Wait!" He exclaimed, stopping so suddenly that Gray ran into him. The boy groaned, pushing the pinkette away angrilly.

"What the hell?" He grumbled.

"What happened to that blonde lady? I never got to talk to her!" Natsu turned around, prepared to head back onto the plane, but Gray stopped him.

"Relax, she came by while you were asleep. She told me I could keep the medicine if it helps you so well," he assured the worried boy. Gray was in for a surprise when Natsu suddenly groaned, slapping his forehead.

"I _missed_ her?" He yelled. Gray narrowed his eyes, motioning him to quiet down, but the boy ignored him. "God i'm so stupid. I gotta go back! I wanna say thank you to her!"

"Natsu, it's fine! I'm sure she understands," Gray fought back, confused by the pink haired boy's sudden agitation.

"No way! I _have_ to see her!" And without a second thought, the boy darted past his confused friend, back up the long hallway. Gray stared after his friend in appalment. After a moment he looked back at the medicine in his hand, smiling at it.

"So it wasn't the medicine after all," he smirked, shaking his head and pushing the bottle into his pocket. "Oh well, at least we found his cure."

Natsu darted past people, shoving and pushing as politely as he could while he tried to reach the plane door again. When he did get there, he found the same flight attendant from before at the door. It was the black haired barbie girl.

"Ah, did you forget something sir?" She asked, the fake smile back on her face. "Your boyfriend perhaps?"

"Uh, yeah, i forgot something," he agreed, trying to slip past, but she stopped him with her arm. Her smile was suddenly cruel.

"I'm afraid that the plane is going to be departing soon. No one is allowed to go on board," she sneered.

"But I forgot something important!" Natsu fought back, trying to slip past, but the girl stopped him. She was surprisingly quick.

"No one is getting on the plane," she hissed, her eyes narrowing.

"Let me through!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"What's going on here?" Both of the bickering people looked up to see a blonde woman frowning at them. Natsu felt his heart leap. It was the same girl from before.

"It's you!" He gasped, pointing. She looked confused until her eyes landed on her face, then she smiled. Natsu felt his cheeks warm. He liked her smile.

"Hello again, what can I help you with?" She asked.

"He forgot something on the plane," the barbie girl hissed, backing up with and flip of her hair. "You know the rules, Heartfilia. No one is allowed back onto the plane after fueling."

"That's true," Heartfilia said before smirking. "But attendants are." The barbie girl gasped while Natsu smiled. Heartfilia giggled and looked at him questioningly. "So what did you forget?"

"Your name," he told her. Both girls froze, peering at him uncertainly.

"I'm sorry?" Heartfilia asked, tilting her head.

"I mean, I also wanted to thank you!" He said, his heart picking up again and making him feel flustered. "I know my friend did earlier, but I was asleep, and I felt bad being unable to thank you myself. I also, um, wanted to know your name. You knew mine so i just thought..."

It was silent for a moment, but then the sound of music filled the air. Natsu looked up, watching Heartfilia as she doubled over, giggling into her hand. He laughed as well, quickly running out of breath. The barbie woman stared between them in confusion, clearly unable to understand.

"Well, that certainly was an important thing to forget," she said, finally recovering her breath. She smiled at him, her brown eyes sparkling. "My name is Lucy, Lucy Heartfilia."

"I'm Natsu Dragneel," he introduced, holding out a hand. Lucy's smile widened and she grabbed his hand, shaking it. "Thank you for the medicine."

"Speaking of that, I have something for you," she said, turning away. She disappeared into the plane, reappearing less than a minute later with a bottle in her hand. She held it out, smiling. "Here, you can take this with you. Your friend said it helped."

"It did, thanks," Natsu said, taking it. Their fingers brushed again, and this time their eyes locked. He held her there for a moment before taking a step back, clutching the medicine. "Thank you very much, Lucy Heartfilia. You've done me a huge service!"

"It was my pleasure," she smiled. "Have a nice trip!"

Natsu found his friend outside the terminal with all their stuff. Gray looked up as he approached, frowning.

"I had half a mind to dump all of this in the ocean," he said, motioning to the bags he'd had to drag out after his friend had ditched him. He smirked quickly. "Did you get what you wanted?"

"Yup!" Natsu cheered, tossing something at the boy. Gray caught it, glancing down in confusion. He frowned at the medicine bottle, shaking it.

"What is this? Natsu, this thing isn't even full," the boy said, holding it up. Natsu picked up his luggage and turned away, smiling brightly.

"I know. Look at the bottle," he told his friend before starting off. Gray looked back down at the bottle, flipping it over. He felt his eyebrows rise up and a smirk twist his face. "That sneaky dog," he muttered, watching the pinkette swagger down the hallway. Gray laughed aloud and put the empty medicine container into his pocket, picking up his own luggage.

Natsu hadn't ever had a need for a phone before, but he found that it became quite convenient to have one when you got the phone number of a pretty blonde girl.


	3. Heartsmith

Once upon a time there was a young girl who sold hearts. Everyday she would stand out on the street corners, dressed in her red robes, with her basket of hearts. She offered them to all those who passed by, always with a smile on her pretty face. For she was pretty, beautiful even. Many of the villagers called her Heartfilia.

"Would you like to buy a heart?" She offered, holding up a beautiful red heart. "I have quite a few beauties to offer." People passed by, not sparing the girl a second glance. Undeterred, she spotted a dark haired man whom looked sad. "Sir," she called out, stepping into the street to catch his attention. The man paused, looking at her with sad, dark eyes. "Would you like to buy a heart?" She offered. The man looked at her basket of hearts.

"Do you happen to repair broken hearts?" He asked, sounding desperate. The little girl frowned, shaking her head.

"Oh no! I just sell hearts, sir," she informed him, lowering her basket.

"I see," the man sighed, looking disappointed.

"But if you go down that road, you will find the Heartsmith," the girl said, pointing to her right. The man looked up, following the direction of her finger.

"Heartsmith?" The man wondered aloud. He smiled, taking off his hat, "Thank you, young lady."

"You're welcome, sir!" The girl replied, smiling brightly.

The man followed the girl's directions and soon found himself standing outside a small brick building with the word 'HEARTSMITH' carved into a large board. The man took a deep breath and stepped inside.

The inside of the shop was messy and dirty, filled from head to toe with broken tools and metal pieces. It smelled of dust and oil, but the man barely noticed it as his eyes found the boy working among the piles of trash. His head was bent over the small glowing heart he was fixing. The man thought it was the glow of the heart that made the boy's hair appear pink, but the odd color remained even as the boy straightened up.

"Um, excuse me," the man said, capturing the boy's attention. He turned, looking at the man through red lensed goggles, just a few shades darker than his hair.

"Huh?" He hummed. He lifted off the goggles, revealing a pair of green eyes. "Oh, a customer!" The boy rose to his feet and came over, smiling kindly at the man. "Welcome, sir! What can I do you for?"

"A young girl told me you repair hearts?" The man clarified.

"Yup, that's what I do!" He exclaimed happily. "I'm Natsu, the Heartsmith. Pleased to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you too," the man nodded.

"What seems to be the problem?" The Heartsmith asked.

"Well..." The man reached into his pocket and pulled out his heart. It was just like any other heart, except for the fact that a large, ragged cut bisected it crudely. Little cracks ran from the cut, like shattered glass.

"Oh boy, this one looks pretty damaged," the Heartsmith said, leaning forward and examining it intently.

"So you can't repair it," the man sighed.

"I didn't say that!" The Heartsmith exclaimed quickly, "It just might take a while."

"That...might be a problem," the man said.

"Are you planning on getting married?" The Heartsmith joked, nudging the man playfully.

"Yes, actually," the man agreed, blushing.

"Oh. Congrats!" The Heartsmith said, shocked.

"However, as the wedding grows nearer, I find myself incapable of loving," the man explained sadly, looking down at his broken heart.

"I can see how that would be a problem," The Heartsmith agreed, rubbing his head. "Well, I suggest you leave it here for a while. I can't make any promises, but I'll do my best!"

"Thank you," the man sighed, relieved. He handed the heart to The Heartsmith carefully, leaning in. "Take good care of it, dear Heartsmith."

"Of course!" The Heartsmith assured, taking it gently. "I don't know when it'll be ready. Just stop by whenever its convenient for you."

"I will," the man said. The man bid the Hearsmith goodbye and exited, back onto the street. He started towards his home, happier than ever.

"Would you like to buy a heart?" The man looked over and saw the same girl from before. She noticed him and smiled, waving. He waved back before heading home.

A couple of days later, the man returned to the Heartsmith's shop. He knocked on the door as he entered, a wrapped box in his hand. "Hello!" He called. "I'm sorry for bothering you today as well."

"Hm?" The Heartsmith looked up from his work, smiling when he saw the man. "Oh, it's you, Zeref!"

"I brought cake," the man said, holding up the box.

"It's delicious!" The Heartsmith said, gobbling down his slice hungrily.

"I'm glad you like it," the man replied.

"None of my customers have ever bought me cake before," the Heartsmith sighed, dropping his fork.

"It's the least I can do for someone who is repairing my heart," the man said humbly.

"About that..." The Heartsmith muttered, rubbing his head guiltily.

"Is there a problem?" The man asked worriedly.

"Well...some vital parts required for the 'love' function are missing," the Heartsmith explained.

"I see...So i will never be able to love my fiancee?" The Heartsmith remained quiet. The man sighed sadly. "Mavis deserves better."

The Heartsmith clenched his fists at the man's words, determination running through him. "I _will_ fix it for you!" He exclaimed, standing up determinedly. "There's still something I can do."

The man smiled, grabbing the Heartsmith's hands. "Thank you, dear Heartsmith."

"Don't mention it," the Heartsmith said with a smile. "I'm happy to help a kind person like you, sir."

The man gathered up his coat, looking back at the Heartsmith. "I will visit you again tomorrow!"

"See you tomorrow then!" The Heartsmith called, waving after the man's dispersing form. His smile fell as the man disappeared and he sat down, placing a hand over his chest. "Will it be enough?" He wondered aloud.

"You did it, Heartsmith!" The man proclaimed happily, holding his newly fixed heart carefully in his hands.

"Of course! I told you I'd fix it, didn't I?" The Heartsmith said proudly, smiling.

"It's amazing. I can feel my heart overflowing with love," the man gasped, smiling in bliss as the heart fit into his chest perfectly, filling him with warmth.

"Really?" The Heartsmith said happily, clutching his jacket. "That's great!"

"Yes, I'm sure my fiancée will be happy." The man smiled.

"Oh...I'm sure she will..." The Heartsmith looked down.

"I hope to see you at my wedding?" The man asked, placing a hand on the Heartsmith's shoulder.

"...Of course," the Heartsmith said quietly, forcing a smile.

As soon as the man left, the Heartsmith sat down by the fire, seeking out its warmth. He could no longer feel any warmth in his own body.

"Poor Heartsmith!" The Heartsmith looked up to find the beautiful girl standing there, frowning at him. "Why do you always share pieces of your heart with others?" She asked, approaching him.

"Look who's talking!" He chuckled, wiping away his tears. "How come you sell hearts, even though you don't have one of your own?"

The girl puffed out her cheeks indignantly, looking away. "Because none of these hearts fit me."

"I see..." the Heartsmith stood up, approaching the girl. "Then maybe..." he kneeled down, pulling out a tiny, cut up heart from his pocket. He extended it to the girl. "Would what's left of this heart fit you?"

"You're giving me your heart?" The girl gasped, blushing.

"Yes, if this one is alright with you?" The Heartsmith asked.

"Thank you, Heartsmith!" The girl cried, leaping forward and wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"How are you doing today, Lucy?" The doctor asked, approaching the little blonde girl sitting in the hospital bed. All sorts of tubes and machines were hooked up to her body, yet she was sitting up with a book in her lap. The doctor smiled at her, brushing his dark hair out of his darker eyes.

"Doctor!" The girl exclaimed.

"Tomorrow is your big day," the Doctor said with a smile. "You're lucky that we found a donor for your heart in time."

"Yes," the girl agreed, gazing down at the book fondly. "The Heartsmith is very kind."

"Uh, who?" The Doctor asked uncertainly.

"It's OK, people don't remember him," the girl explained sadly. "Even those he helped." The girl sighed, closing the book and holding it to her chest. The red heart on the cover of the book seemed to pulse brightly. "But I will always remember him."

Story inspired by this pic: pin/420594052683682620/


	4. Clarity

The room was tense as all the students stared down at Mr. Gildarts. Currently the teacher was rummaging his hand through an old fashioned top-hat. The hat was filled with tiny paper slips, and each inscribed a name. One by one the teacher was pulling out these names and pairing students up. Muttered groans and exclamations of both protest and excitement filled the room after each pair was set up. Natsu was sitting on the edge of his seat, his eyes flickering eagerly between the hat and a white-haired girl in the front row. He had been trying to get a moment alone with Lisanna for weeks, and this was his chance. He prayed to whatever god was out there to grant him this simple request.

"Fullbuster and Lockser," Gildarts called out, using last names for his more familiar students. Beside Natsu, a black haired boy groaned while a few rows down, a blue-haired girl squealed excitedly, hearts popping out of her eyes. Natsu gave his friend a sympathetic look, but he wasn't able to say encouraging words as Gildarts called, "Dragneel and..."

 _Please, please, please let it be Liz. If I've ever done anything right, please let him say Lisanna!_

Gildarts paused, a moment of surprise flashing over his face. Natsu looked at him hopefully. "Well, well," the old teacher chuckled, making Natsu's stomach soar. Gray sighed as Natsu smiled. "Dragneel and Heartfilia."

"Huh?" Natsu froze. Were his ears deceiving him? Gildarts couldn't have possibly—

"Hahaha!" Gray laughed aloud while a mix of murmurs went through the room. Some of the boys muttered jealously while the girls giggled, but Natsu could barely breathe.

" _Heartfilia?_ " He asked, louder than he'd meant. Some of the girls burst out laughing, and he found himself involuntarily looking at the blonde girl. He wished he hadn't; she was glaring at him for his outburst.

Heartfilia, Lucy Heartfilia. She was the top popular girl at school, known throughout all grades for her incomparable beauty. Pretty as she might be however, Natsu hated her. She was snobby and mean and always glaring. Her friends were mean too; the cheerleaders. Natsu was especially afraid of that red-head girl.

As if the gods were really mocking him, Gildarts decided to break the atmosphere by pulling the next two names out of his hat. "Little Strauss and Bickslow."

Natsu's heart, which had previously been in his stomach, sunk all the way to his feet. He watched with heartbreak as the weird boy walked over to Lisanna, smiling. He sunk into his seat, not paying attention as Gildarts listed off the remaining partners. It didn't matter anymore. The gods were against him forever.

...

The bell rang and Natsu was loading his supplies into his backpack sullenly when she came over. He knew it was her from her overpowering perfume. He cringed, seeing her boots stop beside him.

"So where are we going to work on this?" She asked, her tone sharp. He could tell she was still upset over his reaction earlier, but that was fine by him. He was still upset, too.

"The library?" Natsu responded in an obvious tone. He could sense her flinch.

"When?" She questioned.

"Tomorrow," he said quickly, zipping up his backpack and darting around her. He spotted Lisanna walking away and wanted to catch up with her so they could walk home together. Lisanna lived the opposite way of Natsu, but she didn't need to know that.

"Hang on!" Lucy squeaked, and suddenly she had a hold on Natsu's jacket. He stopped just short of tripping, nearly tugging her along with him. As it was, she skidded down a step and had to grab a desk to keep her balance. _Maybe you shouldn't wear six inch death traps, then_ , Natsu thought, but he tried to keep his face relaxed as he turned to her.

"What is it?" He asked, but he was sure his voice was too flat. Lucy froze, releasing his jacket. She huffed out indignantly and straightened her tousled shirt.

"I can't meet at the library tomorrow," she stated, like it should be obvious. When he gave her a blank look she shook her head and sighed. "I have the crosstown classic."

"Great, have fun with that," Natsu muttered, turning away. She jumped around him, rather fast for a girl in heels, and stopped him from moving downward. He groaned in annoyance, but he saw that Lisanna was thankfully waiting for him by the door. His worry decreased a little and he managed to find some patience to deal with his annoying partner. "Alright...so lets meet on Wednesday?"

"After school?" She clarified, sounding reluctant.

"At the library," he added on nodding slowly so she would understand. She scowled at him but, content, moved out of his way. Natsu rolled his eyes as he passed by her, jogging to meet the silver haired girl waiting for him.

...

"So you're partners with Bickslow," Natsu started awkwardly, kicking at a stray rock.

"Yeah," Lisanna sighed sadly. Bickslow was known as the school's freak. He was just as popular as Lucy, for all the opposite reasons. "He's a bit, um, you know..."

"Crazy?" Natsu guessed.

"Different." Lisanna corrected, looking at him reproachfully. Natsu smiled, and she rolled her eyes. "How about you? You must be excited to be paired up with Lucy?"

"Excited...that's a word for it, i guess..." he grumbled, kicking a rock harder. It skidded out into the street.

"You're not?" Lisanna sounded surprised, looking over at him curiously.

"I'm not, not excited," he shrugged, hoping she'd catch his drift and let it go. She didn't.

"Why not? She's very pretty," Lisanna said suggestively. Natsu just shook his head, making her frown. "She's really smart."

"She is?" Natsu sounded so surprised that Lisanna glowered. He backtracked carefully, "I mean, I didn't know that."

"She has mostly honor classes," she informed him.

"Not science though," he muttered, trying his best not to add 'unfortunately'.

"Well, she used to have all honor classes," Lisanna corrected herself, staring at the ground. "I guess she got really sick last year and missed a ton of school. She tried to keep up with most of her schoolwork, but she had to drop a few classes."

"Sounds like you know a lot about her," Natsu speculated.

"Mira-nee is friends with her," Lisanna explained, once again, to Natsu's surprise. "She doesn't seem that bad," she added.

"I didn't say she was bad," he said, noticing the accusing tone in her voice.

"You also don't seem to think she's very good, either," she returned evenly, peering up at him curiously. "It's really not fair to base somebody off of rumors."

"I'm not," he claimed, "that's why I'm not saying she's bad or good."

Lisanna huffed, obviously not pleased by his answer, but they were already at her house. She paused at the gate, looking at Natsu with big eyes. She looked like she was going to say something important, but then she shook her head and turned away. "Just try to keep an open mind, okay?" she called, climbing up the steps. "Bye Natsu!"

He waved after her, waiting until the door was closed and locked behind her. With a sigh he continued up the path, turning one street over before backtracking three miles back to his house.

...

Wednesday came sooner than Natsu had wanted. By the time class let out and he was packing up his stuff, his stomach was filled with dread. It was with a somber attitude that he walked down the aisle of class, readying himself to spend an hour stuck in the same room as Lucy Heartfilia.

Natsu was just walking down the hall to the library when he heard his name being called. "Ah, Dragneel! There you are!" He turned and saw Gildarts jogging down the hall after him. Natsu stopped, waiting for the old man to catch up.

"Hello, Gildarts," Natsu greeted, smirking as the teacher panted to catch his breath. The man glared at him, silently daring him to say anything.

"Glad I caught you," he said, standing up straight with a sigh. "I'm afraid to tell you that Ms. Heartfilia isn't here today."

"huh?" Natsu said, frowning. He thought he remembered seeing her in science earlier. It was impossible not to smell such a strong perfume. Why did girls want to smell like vanilla anyway? It seemed gross to him.

"She went home early," Gildarts explained, noticing his confusion. "Sick."

"Oh," Natsu said, his dread turning to lead. "Of course."

"Sorry about that," Gildarts apologized with a smile.

"It's fine," Natsu dismissed.

"Thank you for understanding," He patted Natsu on the back, chuckling. "I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

"Sure thing!" Natsu smiled back, waving.

...

"She ditched me," Natsu said for the fifth time, glaring at the fuzzy stuffed animal sitting in front of her.

"She didn't ditch you," Lisanna insisted, yet again. She was studiously writing notes for history, which Natsu was supposed to be doing as well, but he was too distracted by his anger.

"Oh yeah, because she just happened to get sick a period before we had to meet up," Natsu rolled his eyes, picking up the bear and squeezing it.

"Hey!" Lisanna scolded, coming over and snatching the animal from his grip. She held it to her chest protectively. "Don't take your anger out on Captain Snuggles."

"Sorry," he muttered half-heartedly, flipping onto his black.

"You know, if it bothers you so much, why don't you just go to her house?" Lisanna suggested, sitting down on her chair, still holding the bear.

"That's just creepy," Natsu insisted. "Besides, I don't even know where she lives."

"I'm sure Mira-nee does," she offered, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I'm not going to her house," Natsu shook his head. "I'll just yell at her tomorrow."

"Sure," Lisanna smirked, turning back to her notes. "Now get your homework done!"

...

Despite all his arguments and complaints, Natsu did end up getting Lucy's address from Mira. It became necessary when Lucy being gone for a day turned into two, three, four, a week, two weeks. Now, they had three days until their project was due, and Natsu had done nothing.

Now he was standing in front of her home—mansion, really—gaping. The slip containing her address was still clutched in his hand, scrawled in Mira's handwriting, and his backpack was slung over his shoulder. He felt very insignificant and underdressed compared to the giant home, but he had to remind himself he was there to get a project done. Taking a deep breath, he buzzed the gate.

Natsu expected to have an awkward exchange with some metallic-voiced person, but the gates buzzed him through right away. He frowned, looking around, and stepped through.

A butler greeted him at the door. The man was tall and lanky, with a head full of shock white hair, and dark glasses covered his eyes.

"Hello, Mr. Dragneel," the man greeted, leading him in. Natsu stepped into the hallway, trying his hardest not to stare at the grandness of it all. It was very hard, however. Everything seemed to be made out of gold.

"Uh, hey," Natsu replied. He wondered if it was really such a good idea for him to have shown up. Something about the sternness of the butlers voice made him think now was not a good time.

"Capricorn?" A female voice called. Natsu looked looked up and felt his chest contract. Lucy stood at the end of the hall, gazing down at him with surprise on her face. She looked the most natural that Natsu had ever seen her. She wore a pair of jeans and a comfy sweater, and her hair was left in a loose braid with bits spiraling over the place. _Beautiful_ , Natsu thought, but thrust the idea out of his mind quickly. "Natsu?" She looked disbelieving.

"Hey," he waved, feeling incredibly lame. Lucy blinked at him, and then at Capricorn. The servant held up his hands, as if saying Natsu being there wasn't his fault.

"Uh, come in," Lucy said, remembering that he was a guest. Natsu awkwardly shuffled over to her. He could feel the butler's eyes digging into his back the whole way, making a nervous sweat start on his back. He stopped a few feet away from the blonde, staring at her uncertainly.

"You've been out," he started. His speech felt limited to very basic words and his tongue felt like a heavy lump of useless.

"Yeah," Lucy agreed, shuffling her bare feet awkwardly. "Do you want to go, um, somewhere to work on our project?"

"Oh, uh, yeah!" Natsu nodded. Lucy smiled and turned on a heel. He followed her into a spacious living room, with two leather couches and a large tv. She clicked off the tv, but not before Natsu could see what she was watching.

"Star wars?" He asked with raised eyebrows. Lucy blushed, shoving some blankets to the side.

"The third," she agreed with a tiny nod.

"Revenge of the Sith?" Natsu laughed. Somehow the fact that this popular girl spent her time watching star wars reruns was very funny to him, although he didn't know why.

"Shut up," she murmured, ducking her head in embarrassment. Natsu settled down on the coach, watching as she grabbed various supplies from all over the room. He was surprised to see multiple homework assignments from over the weeks. It reminded him that she hadn't been there.

"You've been gone for a while," Natsu said as she cleared away some plates. She stiffened, setting the dinnerware softly on another table.

"Sorry about that," she said quietly, sitting down opposite of him. "I would've told you to come over sooner and work on it, but I don't, uh, have your phone number."

"Right," he nodded, pausing. It was quiet as she pulled out the appropriate work from her folders. "Can I ask why?"

Lucy froze and looked up at him with wide eyes. Natsu saw defiance in her eyes, but the fire seemed to die when he kept eye contact. She turned her head to the side, sighing.

"My mom," she muttered quietly, so quietly I thought I might've misheard her.

"Your mom?"

"She's sick," Lucy explained quietly. "It was pretty bad last year, which is why I missed a lot of school, but it's even worse now...She isn't going to, she's not..." Lucy took a deep breath, blinking her eyes quickly. He realized with guilt that she was holding back tears, and he knew that her mother must be dying.

"So we're going to do a project on which chemicals react with salt," Natsu cut her off, surprising both her and himself. She blinked at him stupidly before nodding and looking down at her notes. A small smile took over her face.

"Alright," she agreed. "I'll go grab the salt."

...

Natsu didn't expect to have so much fun with Lucy. As the time passed and their projects progressed, he began to realize that there was more to Lucy Heartfilia than just a simple cheerleader. Speaking of which—

"Cheerleader?" She laughed, sipping on her water. Natsu blushed, rubbing his neck.

"It's not my fault!" He said crossly.

"Yes it is!" She giggled again, shaking her head. "So when I was talking about the crosstown classic?"

"I thought it was some cheerleading thing," Natsu admitted in a grumble. Lucy smiled again, which made Natsu's blush deepen. He liked her smiles. In fact, he liked her whole face. Every expression she made seemed different than the last, not matter how little of a change. He found himself looking forward to seeing how she would react to different things. He especially liked when something he said made her smile or blush.

"Volleyball," she corrected him, settling back in her chair with a sigh. "I play volleyball."

"Makes more sense now," he agreed, mimicking her. She raised an eyebrow questioningly, silently asking him to elaborate. "You're way too weird to be a cheerleader."

"Rude!" She gasped, sitting up. "You're the weird one! Thinking I was some popular cheerleader..."

So as it turned out, Natsu had been very wrong. Not only was Lucy not a cheerleader, she wasn't very popular either. Her friends were mostly nerds or other weirdos, including that scary red-head; the student council president. As she put it, 'how can I be popular if I wasn't even there for half the year?'.

"So where is your mom?" Natsu asked after a long moment of comfortable silence. He wasn't trying to pry into her personal matters so much as he was trying to gauge how soon she'd be returning to school. Not only did he want her to present the project with him, he was excited to have a new friend.

The change in subject seemed to damper Lucy's spirit. She smiled, although it was one of those sad smiles Natsu was beginning to recognize.

"You just missed her," Lucy explained, looking up carefully. "She died yesterday."

Natsu felt all the wind go out of him. He knew his mouth was hanging open, but he didn't have any control over his body anymore. His mind screamed insults at him, calling himself and idiot and a dumbass.

"I-I'm sorry...I didn't...sorry..." He stammered, unsure of what to say. Lucy laughed, a sad, morose laugh.

"It's okay," she assured him, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "We knew it was going to come soon enough."

"How long have you known?" He wondered, but she didn't seem insulted by the question.

"Years," she shrugged helplessly. "Our house has smelled like death for as long as I can remember." I

 _Smell_. "Is that why you wear so much perfume?"

Lucy laughed in surprise, looking at him curiously. "Yeah, it helps cover up the smell."

"My dad died when I was young, too," Natsu suddenly blurted out, looking awkwardly at the ground. Lucy was silent as she processed this information. Natsu was a little afraid she would be upset, and he was confused at himself. Why did he tell her that? He hadn't even told Lisanna that yet.

The chair squeaked as Lucy got up. Before Natsu could look up, he felt two slim arms wrap around his neck. The next thing he knew, his face was pressed into her cheek and the smell of vanilla filled his nose. He was surprised to find, however, that this scent was much softer and diluted than the perfume. It was her natural scent, he realized. Wether accumulated from years of wearing the perfume or just her natural smell, Natsu didn't care. He'd never craved desert so much before.

...

The class applauded as Lucy and Natsu finished their presentation. Lucy smiled at the crowd, removing her goggles. Natsu followed suit, smiling down at her. She smirked back, biting her lip in an attempt to hide her grin.

"Thank you, Lucy and Natsu," Gildarts said, smiling. "What an excellent presentation." Lucy nodded and they headed back to their seats. Lucy smiled at him as she slid into her spot beside the small blue haired girl Natsu learned was named Levy, while he continued up to his spot beside Gray. The black haired boy smirked at him as he sat down.

"I could really feel the chemical reactions, even from all the way up here," he teased, his eyes narrowing.

"Your puns are shit," Natsu informed him, but even the icy bastard's jokes couldn't put a damper on his good mood.

When the last bell rang, Natsu gathered all his stuff and walked over to Lucy's desk. He said hi to Levy and smiled at the blonde as she slowly put away her supplies.

"Hey Natsu!" Natsu turned to see Lisanna looking at him, her eyes curious. "Are we walking home together?"

Natsu froze, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights. He'd gotten so used to walking to Lucy's house over the past week that he had forgotten they weren't partners anymore. There would be no more going to her house after school. No more hanging out. The thought depressed him.

"Go on," Lucy told him, as if sensing his thoughts. He looked down at her curiously but she just smiled, if not a little sadly. Natsu frowned and turned back to Lisanna.

"Sorry, Liz, but I'm going to Lucy's house today," he told her, smiling. Lisanna looked surprised, but it quickly morphed into a smile.

"No problem, see you tomorrow!" She cheered, turning and walking out of the room. Natsu released a breath he'd been holding and turned to see Lucy staring at him.

"What?" He asked, crossing his arms. "Hurry up or we'll miss the new Fairy Tail episode."

Lucy's face slowly morphed into a smile. A slight blush tinted her cheeks as she shook her head, packing up her supplies. Natsu smiled at her.

...

"Dang, I didn't expect that at all," Lucy shook her head, leaning back onto the couch with a puzzled expression. "Who would've expected him to be the good guy?"

"You can't judge on appearances, Luce," Natsu informed her, still proud with himself since he had guessed the ending correctly.

"How hypocritical of you, Natsu," she smirked, pointing at herself. "A week ago, you'd believed I was some shallow cheerleader."

"Psh. That was just a little mistake on my part. Closer inspection _clearly_ reveals you to be a weirdo," he insisted. Lucy gaped at him, smacking him with a pillow.

"Rude!" she giggled, shaking her head. "Just admit it, you judged me before knowing me."

"I did no such thing!" Natsu insisted stubbornly. "I just had to see you a little more clearly."

"Does that make me your clarity?" She asked, smirking.

"Absolutely not!" He denied. "That just makes you a weirdo." Lucy laughed a full laugh that made Natsu's heart swell. "Let's watch the third star wars."

"Revenge of the Sith?"

"Of course."

Lucy and Natsu moved closer together, bundling the blankets around them. They leaned back as the intro began to play, enjoying each other's company.


	5. The Carpet

"Happy?" Natsu called, cupping his hands around his mouth so his voice would echo through the small apartment. He paused, waiting to hear some noise in response, but the whole flat was silent. Grumbling, Natsu began to trek through the cluttered rooms. He moved the blanket on the couch, but his cat wasn't under there either. He checked the kitchen and the litter box, even the small hole in the wall, but the blue cat was nowhere to be seen.

"Seriously?" Natsu muttered, pausing and gazing around with scrutiny. "Where did that little sneak go?"

Just then, Natsu heard a noise. He frowned and followed it into his bedroom. He looked past the door and felt his eyes widen. "There you are!" He walked into the room, smirking down at the little cat. Happy looked up at him with innocent black eyes. Just as Natsu began to suspect something wrong, his foot landed on something wet.

Natsu's whole body froze, his muscles stiffening. Slowly, he looked down at his foot. He gulped, closing his eyes as he tried to keep his anger in.

He had conveniently stepped in a puddle of pee, Happy's pee, which his delightful pet had left for him.

"Happy," Natsu growled, but he opened his eyes to see the cat scamper out of the room. Natsu could swear he was smiling as he padded away, his tail flickering at him mockingly. "HAPPY!"

...

Natsu tried to ignore the pee stain. He cleaned it up, of course, but the smell still lingered and permeated his room. He thought it just needed some time to clear out, so he spent two days sleeping on the couch, letting the odor escaped through the open bedroom window. That plan didn't work too well, and eventually the smell leaked through the rest of the house.

It was hard to eat with the scent of piss in your nose all the time. No body had ever told Natsu how bad cat pee smelled. He'd always assumed that kitty litter was just so they didn't have to pee outside, but he could now see that it did so much more.

Finally, a week later, Natsu couldn't take it anymore. Despite his limited funds, he found himself parking in front of a small carpet store. It was one of those tiny stores that weren't able to stay up on their own, so they were connected with another shop. The other shop happened to be a starbucks, much to Natsu's dismay.

Sighing, the pink haired boy exited his car and, avoiding the people milling around the coffee store, slipped into the carpet store. Samples of carpets hung all over the walls, and a rack in the middle of the room completely obscured the view of the store. The store smelled like fresh fabric and dust, much to his nose's chagrin. He sneezed as soon as he entered, alerting his presence to someone past the carpets. .

"Oh! I'm over here!" A girl with a squeaky voice called out. Natsu reluctantly walked over to her, his plans of milling around for a few minutes ruined. As he stepped around the carpet rack, resisting another sneeze, and stopped at the counter. A small girl looked up at him with large amber eyes, her light blue hair pulled up with an orange bandana. She had a young look to her face, but Natsu assumed she was his age. She had to be, otherwise this was child labor. "Hello! I'm Levy, how can I help you?"

"Uh, I'm looking for a carpet," he said lamely. Mentally, he slapped himself. Of course he was looking for a carpet, why else would he be here for?

Levy giggled, looking somewhere beyond him. "Hold on a minute, sir. Let me just grab one of our assistants," she assured him, slipping around the counter and disappearing between racks. Natsu stood awkwardly, rubbing his arms. This was exactly why he didn't go out. Too awkward.

Levy appeared a minute later, this time with another girl. Natsu had to resist the urge to gape. The girl she brought back with her was taller by a good foot, and had long blonde hair, complimented by large brown eyes. She wore a bit of her hair up to the side and her name tag read 'Lucy' in cute cursive. Everything about her screamed 'popular girl' and 'duck'. He tried not to flinch away from her when she stopped in front of him.

"Hi," she said, her voice surprisingly shy. She was shorter than him by a good four inches, but that didn't make Natsu feel any better. "I'm Lucy," she introduced. "You're looking for a carpet?" She smirked at that, making him frown.

"Um, yeah," he nodded.

"Great!" She waved at the bluenette as she walked away, turning her eyes on Natsu. He was prepared to see disgust in them, but she just smiled. Her eyes seemed to sparkle under the lights. "What are you looking for?"

Natsu described his carpet to Lucy as best as he could. She told him to follow her as he talked, and began to pull samples off of different shelves. Natsu watched her warily, trying to remind himself that this wasn't high school anymore. He was an adult now, and things such as cliches didn't exist anymore. Still, that didn't make him feel any better around the pretty girl.

"So what happened to your carpet?" Lucy asked while he was examining the samples. None of them seemed to match his carpet, much to his annoyance.

"Huh?" Natsu gaped, looking up in surprise.

"I've heard all kinds of crazy stories," Lucy admitted, smiling. "One guy accidentally glued his shirt to his carpet and ended up pulling the whole thing off, both the shirt and the carpet."

"He sounds stupid," Natsu commented.

"Oh, he is," she agreed with a giggle. Natsu looked at her curiously. She turned to him. "So what happened to yours?"

"My cat peed on it," he admitted with a sigh.

"Oh no!" Lucy gasped, covering her mouth to hide her laughter. He glared at her, but she only smiled. "Doesn't it have a litter box?"

"He does," Natsu sighed, "but Happy never likes to do what he's told."

"Your cat's name is Happy?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah? Is something wrong with that?" Natsu challenged. Lucy shook her head with a big smile.

"Nothing at all," she agreed, tilting her head. "I think it's cute. Speaking of which, what's your name?"

Natsu blushed, realizing he never introduced himself to either of the girls. "I'm Natsu," he told her. She smiled.

"Summer?" She questioned, and he realized she meant his name.

"Um, yeah, it's when I was born," he rubbed his neck in embarrassment. He had been made fun of plenty for his name.

"Really? Me too!" She exclaimed, suddenly looking down at the samples. "Do none of those match?"

Natsu, too shocked to respond, just shook his head. The blonde pouted and then brightened. "Do you have any pictures with your carpet in it?"

He thought about that for a minute. He did have a couple of pictures, but they were of...

"No," he denied, feeling his neck heat up with embarrassment. Lucy smirked at him.

"I don't believe you," she sung, looking entertained. Natsu felt his blush deepen by her tone, but he shook his head.

"I really don't," he repeated.

"I think you're lying," she hummed, leaning forward. The soft smell of vanilla filled his nose, wafting from her hair. She smiled. "Come on. Show me."

"What? N-No way!" He backed up, suddenly feeling cornered.

"Ooh, I see. They're _those_ kind of photos," she smiled evilly. Natsu didn't know what 'those photos' were, but he didn't think it was good.

"No, they're not," he defended himself.

"Good," she nodded. "Why can't you show me then?"

"I just...it's...you..." Natsu sighed, feeling defeated. Reluctantly he pulled out his phone, opening his photos. He selected the photo and held it up for the blonde to see, turning away. He waited while she examined it, feeling like a stack of bricks had been placed in his stomach. He waited for her to start laughing or making fun of him, and her silence unsettled him.

"I know just what matches," Lucy said, making him look over at her curiously. She wouldn't look at him. "I'll go grab it," she murmured before rushing away.

Natsu sighed to himself, leaning against the wall. She probably thought he was a freak now, god knows how many other people thought so. Why did he expect real life to be different than high school life?

Lucy returned faster than he expected. In her hand, she held the exact same piece of carpet as his at home. "This right?" She asked, holding it out.

"As if you took it from my house," he confirmed. She nodded, still not looking at him, and told him to go to the front counter to check out his order.

"One of our workers will be over to your house within the week to replace the carpet," Levy told him, handing him a slip of paper. Lucy had disappeared after dropping him in front of the bluenette, murmuring something about shipping placements. She'd darted away after that, making Natsu's stomach sink even lower.

"Thanks," he said, turning away.

"Ah, wait!" He looked back to see the bluenette holding out the tiny square of carpet to him. "Free sample," she smiled.

Natsu frowned but didn't question her, taking the tiny square. "Thanks," he repeated awkwardly. This time Levy didn't stop him, smiling and waving as he walked away. Natsu took a deep breath of fresh air, shaking his head. He walked back to his car and slid in, glancing at the carpet store. The sign 'Fairy Carpets' flashed brightly across the top.

He leaned back in his seat and looked down at his free sample. He probably would've thrown it out if something didn't catch his eyes. Carefully, he flipped the square over and stared.

'CelestialMage' was written in familiar cursive, and under it a small message that made Natsu's eyes widen.

 _Add me on steam. P.S. I like your manga collection! I love Fairy Tail!_

Natsu smiled down at the carpet square. For once, he didn't feel ashamed of being a nerd.


	6. Heartbeat

Lucy tapped her foot anxiously as she slouched in the tiny plastic chair. The receptionist looked up at her with annoyed eyes, but the blonde didn't care. She was the one who should be annoyed! She had been waiting for this doctor for two hours, and had been sitting in this small child's chair for half of that. All the regular, human sized chairs were occupied by other waiting patients. Lucy had wanted to grab one when the woman who'd been sitting in it got up, but then an elderly woman came in and the girl didn't have the heart to do that to the poor woman. So here she was, shuffling awkwardly in a chair that barely fit her whole butt, annoyed, and glaring at the set of legos in front of her. Lucy huffed, abruptly stopping her tapping by slamming her foot against the ground. The little girl beside her looked up from her coloring book, frowned and moved away. Lucy could feel the receptionist glaring at her again.

It wasn't the wait that really upset Lucy, although it was certainly troublesome. In truth, she would wait here two days if thats what it took to see this doctor. She'd already waited four months for this appointment, and she wasn't going to let her five hour drive up here go to waste. Dr. Dragneel was one of the greatest doctors in the industry, she'd been told. If anyone could tell her what was wrong with her, it was definitely him.

Lucy's heart sank, and her hand unconsciously went to touch the necklace against her chest. The pendant was a small golden star with a little diamond in the middle. It wasn't anything outwardly extravagant, but Lucy cherished it over anything else. It had been the last gift she'd received from her mother, just before the young woman died of a mysterious disease. It was that very reason Lucy was here right now, sitting for two hours in this foreign town with a bunch of strangers. Nobody—not any single doctor she'd visited—knew anything about her mother's cause of death. It wasn't cancer or anything like that, but there was something in her mother's body that had killed her, and now it was possible that it was in Lucy's body.

The doctors told her that she shouldn't worry. The chances she inherited it were a hundred in one, but Lucy had began to suspect that the chances weren't as small as they appeared. There were no signs thus far, but she didn't want to take a chance. Her whole life had been put on pause after learning there was a possibility she too might die, and she hadn't been able to move past it. Thoughts of dying like her mother flitted through her head all the time. What if she died? Dying didn't really so much matter as the circumstances it would happen under. Lucy knew without any explanation that her mother's one regret was leaving her and her father. What if she also had a family when she suddenly died? A daughter or son? What if they were younger than Lucy was? And her husband—what could it feel like to die with the love of your life watching you? Lucy shuddered at the thought, her chest growing tighter with each passing moment. It was too much to just believe in chance. She had to know, if only to make sure those possibilities never became a reality.

"Miss Heartfilia?" The receptionist called out, her eyes already locked onto the blonde. Lucy stood up so quickly that she nearly knocked her chair over. She startled the little girl, causing her purple marker to skid outside the line.

"Hi," Lucy said, quickly jogging over. The grumpy woman didn't bother to respond, looking down at the papers with cold eyes. Lucy tried not to fidget as she answered the basic question about her identity, but she found herself tapping her foot once again. Finally, the woman sighed and stamped the paper, sliding it over the counter.

"Doctor Dragneel will see you now, room 3," she grumbled.

"Thank—" Lucy started, but she was already holding a phone to her ear. Lucy cringed back and turned on a heel towards the open doorway. For the past hour she'd been considering just running in and demanding the doctor to see her, and it was a little unsettling to have her imagination become a reality. She walked through quickly, her heart thundering in her chest.

Lucy stepped into a long hallway that had pictures of cartoon animals hand painted on the wall. She'd been a little surprised when she'd seen the place Dr. Dragneel worked, but her friend Levy had told her that he was someone who wanted to work for everyone. The proclaimed best doctor in the world worked in a children's clinic. Lucy tried not to let that bother her as she walked down the hall.

"Hello there!" A cheery voice called out. Lucy spun quickly, her eyes settling on the most beautiful woman in the world.

This girl looked like the receptionists you see in old-timey movies. She had long white hair that was as smooth as her clean, pale skin. Two electric blue eyes locked with Lucy's and a giant smile covered her face. Instantly, Lucy felt her fears dissipating, replaced by an oddly reassuring sensation.

"H-Hi," Lucy stuttered awkwardly, unsure what to say. The girl giggled like she got that reaction a lot and smiled softly.

"Are you here for one of the doctors?" The woman clarified. Lucy saw that a badge on her uniform read 'Mirajane'. _Of course she has a beautiful name_ , Lucy thought, trying not to be too spiteful as she smiled back.

"Doctor Dragneel?" Lucy asked, looking around. The girl's smile widened and an odd glint entered her eye.

"You can just call him Natsu," she informed Lucy with a knowing laugh. Lucy didn't get the inside joke but Mirajane moved on before she could think about it. "Why don't you head into room 3, it's right there. He'll be with you in just a minute."

"Um, thank you, Mirajane," Lucy said awkwardly.

"Oh please sweetie, just call me Mira!" She cheered. Lucy nodded, unsure what else to say, and turned towards the room Mirajane—Mira—had pointed out. The door was open, so Lucy walked in.

Like the hallways, the room was designed with painted animals and figures. A small shelf of children's books sat in the corner, and a picture of a kitten sat on the desk beside the computer. Lucy sat on the cushiony waiting chair, not wanting to sit on the sheet of white paper. She used to hate sitting on them as a child because they always smelled like disinfectant and they tore, which was embarrassing.

The chair hissed as Lucy sat on it, causing her butt to sink into the fabric. She sighed, but at least there was no tearing involved for this. Lucy looked at the hallway, but she didn't hear anyone approaching. Not wanting to seem awkward, she pulled out her phone.

Lucy was surprised to see that she had messages on her phone, albeit the first two were emails from her favorite book store. She ignored those and looked at the texts she'd gotten.

One was from her father. He was asking her how she was and if the doctor had seen her yet. It was a brief message—probably written in the two minute break he had to use the bathroom—but it made her heart swell with happiness. She wrote back a reply saying that she was in the office now and giving an assumption of when she'd be home, although Lucy knew he wouldn't see it for another few hours.

The other message made her smile. It was from Levy and Gajeel—her two best friends in the whole world. They'd both texted her messages of support from Levy's phone, probably out on a date while she was away. Never an opportunity missed, those two, although she didn't feel spiteful.

Levy wished her luck with the doctor and expressed her deepest prayers about Lucy's safety. She went on to say that no matter what, Levy would be by her side every step of the way. Lucy smiled at that, resisting the sensation of tears.

Gajeel's message was less elegant, but no less supportive. He told Lucy that if the dumbass doctor didn't know what was wrong with her either, then he was going to drive her all over the world until they found someone who could. He also offered to drive out to her and beat the bastard up if she so desired. She laughed, shaking her head.

Lucy told the two of them that she was waiting for the doctor now, and thanked them both for their support. She added in that there was no need for Gajeel to drive his way over to her and waste their date. Lucy would've said more, but just then there was a knock on the door.

She looked up, expecting to see an older man with graying hair and a kind smile. She was right about the kind smile at least, but everything else was way off proportion. Dr. Dragneel was a young man who couldn't possibly be older than she was, and he had pink, not grey, hair. He was good looking in an odd sort of way. Striking, was the word that came to mind, especially with his hair and sharp, green eyes. She opened her mouth, slightly stunned, but he didn't seem to take notice as he walked over to the computer.

"Evenin' Luigi," he greeted her happily, looking up and smiling at her. Lucy was blinded at his smile and probably would've stayed there forever if not for his words.

"Luigi?" She gasped, her voice pitching higher than usual. The man cringed and looked at her in surprise.

"Huh? Not Luigi?" He looked down at his clipboard with sharp eyes, frowning. For a minute Lucy was afraid she would be sent back out into the waiting room, but the Doctor just laughed. "Sorry 'bout that, I read your name wrong."

"Read my—what kind of girl is named Luigi?" Lucy questioned, oddly miffed by the mistake. Did she look like a Luigi? Why did it matter if he thought so, but somehow it did.

Taking her question seriously, the doctor looked her over carefully. She squirmed under his intense gaze, her heartbeat picking up and a searing heat coming over her neck. She was sure her cheeks were red as she looked away, but he didn't say anything. "That's what I was wondering," he said, shrugging his shoulders helplessly. Lucy puffed out her cheeks indignantly, but he was already moving on. "So, what brings you here today? Must be important for you to travel so far."

She paused, her anger disappearing. "How'd you know that?" She asked stupidly.

"Says right here," the doctor said, smirking and tapping his clipboard.

"Uh, right," she murmured, blushing even harder. "Well, the paper should explain it, shouldn't it?" She returned.

Dr. Dragneel hummed, glancing down at the paper again. "It mentions some stuff," he admitted, looking up at her, "but I tend to think the actual patients explain it a bit better."

"I'm not sure how much better I could explain it," Lucy sighed, tugging on a strand of her hair. She always felt awkward explaining it to people. Some asked her why she worried or wasted so much time if there wasn't anything wrong with her, and that made her feel bad about being here, wasting this man's time. "My mom died of an unknown sickness when I was really young. I've been to a couple of doctors but they don't know what happened, and tell me not to worry about it. I can't though, because I don't know if I could die and leave my family like that too, and it scares me..." She paused, looking up at the doctor. She blushed, realizing she'd just explained everything to him.

Instead of judging her, the doctor simply nodded. "None of the doctors you've visited know anything about it?" He clarified.

"The closest guess I've gotten was a genetic problem, and, well..." I let that hang in the air, but he seemed to understand.

"Do you have a picture of your mother?" He asked suddenly, looking at her with intense green eyes. Lucy gulped under his gaze, nodding her head and pulling out her phone. She found the photo and showed it to him. He sat in silence as he examined it. Occasionally his gaze would flicker up to her face. For a solid five minutes this odd pattern continued until Lucy couldn't take the silence anymore.

"So what do you think?" She asked nervously. Her tone was a bit sharp, even to her ears, so she awkwardly coughed into her arm to cover it up.

"Your mother was very beautiful," he said, closing the phone and handing it back to her. His hands were warm when they accidentally brushed against hers, but he didn't seem to notice the tingles. Lucy pulled away quickly, awkwardly clutching the phone in her hands.

"And?" She pressed, trying not to be too obnoxious. Despite his good looks, her patience was beginning to ware thin. She didn't need a doctor to tell her that her mother was beautiful; Lucy knew that well enough herself.

"You two are very similar," he said, her eyes examining her face again.

Lucy froze, but she wasn't sure if it was a compliment or a simple observation. His tone didn't indicate either way, so she tried to keep her voice smooth as she said, "I've been told."

"Hmm, indeed," he agreed, his eyes locking with hers. "But I have to wonder, are you the same on the inside as well?"

"Huh?" Lucy questioned uncertainly, not getting it. Doctor Dragneel smiled, understanding her confusion.

"Sorry, I've been informed that I speak idiot," he laughed at some inside joke and shook his head. "You and your mother look an awful lot alike, but that doesn't necessarily mean your DNA makeup is the same. I'd say the doctors are right: the chances of you having this disease, if it even was genetic, is a thousand and one. Probably less."

"I know that," Lucy sighed, flipping her phone in her hands distractedly. "It's just...isn't there any way to know for sure?"

The doctor frowned. "I'm afraid not. If the disease is unknown then there's no way to track it inside of you. It'd be different if your mother was still with us-we'd be able to take samples and examine it, but we don't have a clue what to look for. I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine," Lucy said, her heart plummeting.

"Can I ask why you're so worried?" He wondered. Lucy looked up, about to tell him not to worry about it, but something in his eyes made her pause. She realized that his gaze reflected her own, and she could tell right away that he'd lost people as well. Lucy sighed.

"It isn't that I don't trust the doctors -I do! - but it's hard to just accept that it might or might not one day come and take me away. It makes me apprehensive. I don't want to be like my mom - meet someone, fall in love, start a family - and then leave that all behind. I wouldn't want to punish someone like that."

"So you're afraid of falling in love?" He asked uncertainly. Lucy blushed, spluttering.

"N-no! I'm afraid of leaving the people I love," she clarified.

"Ah...so Gajeel is your boyfriend then?" He asked, writing something down on his paper. Lucy blanched, suddenly feeling pale.

"Gajeel? When did you-"

"I saw his name on your phone when you gave it to me," he said easily, not looking up. She balked at him.

"You went through my phone?!"

"Wrong again," he hummed, this time smirking. "He texted you while I was looking at the photo. Said to call him, just in case he needed to come and beat me up." Lucy sweated at that, glancing at her phone with a sigh.

"Well, this is where you're wrong. He's actually my best friends boyfriend, and he always wants to beat someone up," she explained. Dr. Dragneel looked up curiously.

"So you don't have a boyfriend then?" He asked. Something about his tone made Lucy's pulse jump, and she had to swallow to make her throat feel less dry.

"Right, for once," she agreed, and her words made him smile.

"Well, go sit on the table," he suddenly commanded. The mood dropped like a rock and Lucy stared at him blankly. He looked back at her and smiled, nodding towards the white papered table. "Go on."

"Are you serious?" She asked. He nodded his head and Lucy gaped. "But why? There's nothing wrong with me."

"Required procedures," he dismissed, standing up. He went over to the table and tapped it encouragingly.

"Aren't you supposed to do this before the examination?" She asked, standing up and creeping towards the table. It was taller than she expected, and she knew for a fact she wouldn't be able to get up there without ripping it. Speaking of taller, she was surprised to realize that Dr. Dragneel was a good five inches over her.

"I'm not known for the usual," he shrugged, eyeing her. He frowned when she awkwardly leaned Against the table. "Can you not get up on it?"

"W-what?" She stammered, embarrassed by his assumption. "N-no, it's just..." Lucy tried to find how to explain it, but the doctor just sighed. Suddenly she felt two hot hands at her waist and her feet no longer touched the ground. Lucy squeaked as the doctor lifted her and set her down on the table. She waited for the familiar pop, but there was none. "Um..."

"Weirdo," the doctor muttered, causing Lucy to gape, but he just smirked and grabbed the equipment.

He checked her blood pressure and her eyes, ears, and -reluctantly on her part- her nose. Throughout it all, Lucy tried to remember how to breathe. It was rather difficult considering that every time his hands touched her skin, it was like getting shocked. Her heart was thudding out of her chest by the time he put on his stethoscope.

"Alright, just take in deep breaths, alright Luce?" He'd started calling her that, which made Lucy's heart tremor every time he said it.

Lucy felt the chill of the stethoscope through her shirt, but it was quickly masked as he put his hand beside it, holding her steady. Her whole body seemed to tingle as she breathed in and out on his command, trying her hardest not to have her heart explode.

"Are you okay?" He asked, finishing the front. Lucy nodded, afraid her voice would shake if she spoke. He frowned but didn't say anything as he turned to her back.

Lucy tensed when his hand slid under her shirt, but she couldn't hold back her shudder when his hand touched her skin. Instantly he froze, his warm appendage still sizzling against her skin. Lucy didn't need a stethoscope to hear her heart pound.

Dr. Dragneel abruptly pulled away, turning around and heading back to his clipboard. It was quiet as he wrote, and no matter what, Lucy couldn't get the blush to disappear from her cheeks.

"Alright!" He suddenly exclaimed, turning around and smiling as if nothing happened. Lucy felt relieved and sad at the same time. "All done. Give this to Mira and she'll give you your prescription." Lucy was so confused that she didn't even bother to ask. She stood up and grabbed her stuff, quickly hurrying from the room. She went to Amira's desk and the white haired girl smiled as she approached.

"How'd it go?" She wondered.

"Fine," Lucy lied. Her heart still raced and she was sure her face was still red.

"Sorry to see you go so soon," Mira poured, turning to her computer. "Lets see what the doctor ordered..." she clicked on a link and froze. Lucy watched as the girl's eyes widened, then grew narrow, then widened again. She turned to the blonde with a smile, quickly handing her a piece of paper. "Well, well, I suggest you follow those orders exactly alright?" Lucy nodded, accepting the slip and turning. "See you around!" Mira called after her, sounding cheerful.

It wasn't until Lucy was in her car back in the parking lot that she looked at her prescription. She couldn't possibly wonder what he gave her. Drugs to stop her heart from racing? Maybe he thought she had heart problems and wanted a follow up?

Lucy looked down at the slip and felt her heart nearly stop. Scribbled in horrible handwriting was a phone number she could just barely make out, and under that it said: _Doctor's orders, a wholesome dinner._

Lucy frowned, confused. She was just about to enter the number when her phone beeped. She looked down. Who was Natsu?

 _Oh, you can just call him Natsu_. Mira's words rang in her ears, heavying her blush. She looked at the text and nearly screamed.

 _Dinner with me tonight at Rontillo's?_

Needless to say, Lucy had to correct her last text, informing her father that she wouldn't be home until the next morning. She also never went to another doctor about the disease again, because after meeting Dr. Dragneel, all her worries we're at ease.

He really was the best doctor in the world.

 **Sorry if that was cheesy or boring. The ending is kinda rushed because I'm typing on my phone and it's ten and I'm tired. Hope you enjoyed though. Hopefully the next few will be posted tomorrow. Bye~**


	7. Wind

Natsu lurched off of the train and onto the pavement, trying his hardest to keep the contents of his stomach inside his mouth while he pushed through the throng of people. It wasn't all that difficult. Everyone who saw the boy cleared away, forewarned by his green complexion.

"This is what you get for not taking your medication," an annoyingly familiar voice mocked him as he struggled by the last layer of people. Finally Natsu was left in a relatively clear area of space and he plopped down against the wall, leaning his head back against the cool bricks. His companion followed after him, muttering swears as he pushed through a group of men. They grumbled as he moved through, but finally they spit him out in front of his sickly friend. Gray's annoyance turned into satisfaction when he saw the state of the pink-haired boy. "I told you so," he said, just to play it up.

"Shut up..blurgh..." Natsu griped, clutching his stomach. He willed Gray's annoying voice to fade into the background and tried to focus on keeping the walls from spinning. It was a hard task, which only made his stomach more irritable.

"Honestly," Gray sighed. Natsu looked up at him blearily. Was it the tears in his eyes or had Gray lost his shirt again. He blinked and found the latter to be true, much to his annoyance. "How many times did I remind you? How many times did _Erza_ remind you?" Natsu cringed at the sound of the she-demon's name, but that only made his dizziness worse. Now he was sick and terrified.

"Don't..ugh...tell her," he begged. Gray flinched at the sounds of Natsu's gagging, realizing that the situation was more serious than usual. It would be, after all, Natsu was used to dealing with an hour trip at most. Two to three hours was pushing his boundaries. Five hours was just insane.

"Ah, jeez." Gray ran a hand through his hair, looking around distractedly. He spotted a small gift shop a few rows down and smiled. "Hang on, let me check out that shop over there. Just stay there!" He turned and ran off, pushing people as he went. Natsu groaned, internally asking the idiot where he was going to go.

He tried to watch the people in attempt to calm his nausea, but it only seemed to make it worse. Closing his eyes, he leaned back and focused on the coolness of the bricks, but already they were adapting to his abnormal body temperature and becoming hot and uncomfortable.

As if reading his thoughts, a cool breeze suddenly floated by. Natsu sighed, breathing in the scents of vanilla and cherry blossoms. The smell calmed his jumpy nerves and seemed to soothe his stomach. He didn't try to open his eyes, afraid to ruin the magic that had been cast on him, but the wind was already disappearing, carrying the scent along with it.

Natsu opened his eyes and stood up uneasily. A little dizziness came back to him, but that odd odor spun through his mind, making his body feel light. He turned, sniffing the air cautiously. Most of the trail was covered up by sweaty, gross smelling people, but he could just detect traces of the sweet scent. He followed after it blindly, only thinking of relief.

He followed the scent in and out of people, much farther from his space than he'd been expecting, but unable to stop. Finally he stopped under a store, sniffing and spinning in a circle. He'd thought he was closing in on the smell, but suddenly he couldn't detect it at all. His heart plummeted.

Saddened, Natsu turned to walk back to his spot and wait for Gray. He had just taken a step when a cool wind blew past, whipping his hair into his face. He cringed against the onslaught, but froze when a familiar smell invaded his nose. Vanilla and cherry blossoms.

Natsu spun around, his eyes widening. He didn't know why it hadn't occurred to him that the smell belonged to a person. For just looking at her, he knew it was her scent.

He watched as she ducked her head, holding up a hand in attempt to block her face from the wind. Her blonde hair blew out behind her wildly, looking like strands of gold in the sunlight. The same tantalizing smell drifted towards him, making his head feel light.

The girl looked up and her chocolate brown eyes seemed to lock with his just as a particularly strong gust blew. Her lips parted in a gasp as the wind tore the bow out of her hair, sending it spiraling directly towards Natsu.

Acting on instinct, the boy reached out and snagged the little blue ribbon. He looked down at it and then at the girl. She was looking at him too, he was sure of it now. She looked confused as her eyes darted between his face and the bow in his hands, but then her friend was grabbing her and pulling her away. The girl's mouth opened in protest, but her little friend would hear none of it as she dragged the blonde onto the train. The last view he got of her was her golden hair before she disappeared into the train.

Natsu stood stock still, the bow still in his hand. He looked at the windows to see if he could spot the blonde, but she was nowhere in sight. He felt lost and a little upset. Reluctantly, he turned and started to head back to his spot to meet Gray. As he walked, a light breeze kicked up the scent of vanilla and cherry blossoms. He looked up, expecting her to be there, but was met with disappointment. When the smell didn't fade, he looked at the bow. Carefully, he held the blue ribbon up to his nose and sniffed. Natsu gaped to himself as the scent of vanilla and cherry blossoms filled his nose. He smiled and leaned against the wall, carefully tying the little bow around his wrist. He sent a silent thank you out to the girl and a promise that he would return it to her. He laid his head back, his sickness completely gone.

That was how Gray found him fifteen minutes later. "Got it!" The boy exclaimed, now wearing a neon green gift shop t-shirt and holding up a bottle of medicine. He stopped when he saw his friend turn to him with a smile. Gray frowned at him, squinting his eyes. Natsu looked as stupid as usual, but there seemed to be something off about him.

"Thanks for trying Gray, but I'm fine now," the boy exclaimed, smiling secretively. Gray looked from the medicine in his hand to his smiling friend.

"Like hell you are!" He shouted, the anger dawning on him. "I didn't spend thirty minutes talking to that crazy blue haired chick to have you tell me you're fine!"

"Crazy blue-haired girl?" Natsu asked.

"Nevermind that! You're taking this damn medicine, flame shit!"

"I don't need it, stupid block head!"

"Flametard!"

"Ice Dick!"

"Lava Brains!"

"Ice Bastard!"

...

Lucy giggled to herself and turned away from the two bickering boys. She had ran out of the train in search of her lost ribbon, but she'd stopped when she saw that the pink-haired boy had it wrapped around his wrist. She didn't know why he had it like that, but the thought warmed her heart regardless. Besides, she wouldn't want to get in between those two's argument.

"Find it?" Levy asked as Lucy settled back into her seat. The last call for passengers sounded.

"Nah," Lucy dismissed. Levy frowned, looking apologetic.

"I'm sorry, Lu-chan! If I had let you go you would've been able to get it back..."

"Don't worry about it Levy-chan," Lucy waved her hand, smiling. She turned to gaze out the window. She didn't worry about the ribbon. She knew her phone number was written down on the silk, and somehow she knew she'd be seeing the cute pink-haired boy soon enough.


	8. Count Down

Lucy has had the watch for as long as she can remember. Every person does, and somewhere in the world, there was a person whose watch had the same numbers as hers. From the moment she was born, Lucy's watch had been counting down the years to her fated meeting.

When she was younger, Lucy dreamed of her soulmate. She pictured handsome men who would sweep her off her feet with extravagant gifts and sweet words. Her dream man had changed as she aged, however, and now all she could imagine was a blank mannequin face.

Some of her friends were lucky, like her best friend Levy. The small blue haired girl met her soulmate, Gajeel, their first week of high school and had been together since. Ezra even met her soulmate when she was a child, and they'd been together for years. Lucy's clock was never close to being done, so she began to stop bothering with it. She accepted that she would meet her soulmate when it was time, and worrying about it was only going to cause her pain.

So it was both exciting and terrifying when she saw she only had 3 weeks, 2 days, 45 minutes, and 12 seconds until she met the one.

"What do you think he looks like?" Mira asked during lunch one day, just as Lucy's watch turned to exactly 3 weeks.

"I don't have a clue," Lucy admitted, swallowing her food.

"Do you have any thoughts on who it could be?" Cana slurred, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

"If I met them already then we wouldn't be waiting for my watch to count down," Lucy reminded her, bumping her shoulder. Cana laughed.

"Whoever it is better be okay with sharing," she huffed, draping an arm over Lucy's shoulders and pulling the blonde girl into her chest. Lucy didn't try to struggle, it only made the suffocation happen faster.

"Don't kill her before she meets him," Mira scolded, freeing her from the boobs of death. Lucy looked at her thankfully.

"I wonder what he'll be like, or how you'll meet him. It must be away from school, or you'd have met him already," Levy said, looking over from talking with her boyfriend, Gajeel. The dark haired boy hummed his agreement, chewing on the end of a spoon.

"Either way, if he hurts bunny girl, I'll have to kill him." There were only a few boys in Lucy's friend group: Gajeel and Loke. Gajeel had grown oddly attached to Lucy since she was close with Levy, and treated her almost like a daughter. Loke, on the other hand, claimed that Lucy would obviously be his soulmate, despite the fact that his clock wouldn't countdown until a year and a half after hers, and they'd already met. He seemed to ignore these facts.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Levy dismissed, smirking at Lucy. "He'll be Lucy's soulmate after all."

Despite the attention her clock grabbed and her constant talks with her friends, Lucy was ashamed to say she _didn't_ feel excited to meet her soulmate. As odd as it seemed, the idea of meeting him scared her. What if he didn't like how she looked? Or acted? Or her friends? Questions like this plagued her so often that it made sleep hard to attain.

What really worried her, however, was Levy's comment about meeting him. Sure, he could transfer into her school, but the idea seemed unlikely. Chances were that she'd meet him on a street somewhere, and then what? What if he was visiting from another state, and she'd never be able to see him again after that? She'd heard of online relationships, but the idea was just as scary as the thought of meeting him.

So the weeks slowly passed by, these insane and dark thoughts constantly plaguing her mind. It was only when she had two days until her fated day that she shared her doubts with Levy.

Levy and Lucy had been best friends since they were five. Their moms had worked together, and after Lucy mother's death, they'd gotten very close. Lucy trusted Levy with everything, even her life. So when the blue haired girl had noticed her lack of excitement, the blonde easily opened up and admitted the truth.

"There's nothing wrong with that," Levy said as soon as she was done, looking thoughtful. "I was terrified of meeting Gajeel. I was always wondering what he'd be like or look like, but all my worries disappeared as soon as I saw him." She looked up and smiled at Lucy. "Whoever your soulmate is will love you. They'd be crazy not to."

Lucy smiled back, leaning her head against Levy. She closed her eyes and let her friend's familiar warmth wrap around her. "Thanks Levy." The blue haired girl chuckled and wrapped her arms around Lucy in response.

Lucy tried to keep Levy's words in her mind as she was on the final day, but the worries only got worse when her dad decided to take her out shopping. As a way to keep him from worrying, she had told him that she still had weeks left until her clock stopped. Now, she had a half hour left until zero, and her dad was making her try on dresses.

"Dad, you really don't have to do this," She said for the hundredth time, struggling to pull the silky fabric over her head. The dress had so many layers that she kept confusing where the opening was. Finally she managed to pull it over her head, slipping her arms through the appropriate holes. The bodice of the dress was black with a pink flower on the strap, while pink silk flowed down from her cinched waist. It was a pretty dress by itself, and Lucy was surprised to find that she looked good in it as well. She stepped out of the dressing room so her father could examine her, carefully hiding her arm behind her back. "This is really unnecessary."

"Nonsense!" Her father protested, smiling as she appeared. He stood up and tucked her hair behind her ear, stepping around her to see the dress from all angles. She moved her arm to keep the clock out of his view. He grinned proudly, coming back around to her front. "It's never unnecessary to buy a dress for such a pretty girl."

"It is when said girl has fifty at home," she muttered, but he ignored her. He tilted his head and sighed, looking thoughtful.

"You look just like your mother," he said softly, and Lucy felt her heart stop. Se looked over at him, but his eyes seemed almost unfocused. They were both brought back to reality when something beeped. Lucy looked down instinctively, and felt herself pale when she saw there was only three minutes on her clock. Her father was smiling at her when she looked back at him, and she gulped, realizing he knew the whole time. "Did you really think that you could hide it from me, Lucy?"

"Kinda," she admitted reluctantly. Her dad laughed, shaking his head.

"Just like your mother," he sighed. "Come on, lets get this dress checked out."

Lucy turned to go back into the dressing room, but paused when her dad grabbed her arm. He began to pull her towards the checkout counter just as her clock beeped again. Two minutes.

She followed him slowly, her eyes darting around the shop for a sight of her soulmate, but there wasn't a single boy in sight. Her nerves only increased when they approached the counter, and then her heart stopped.

A boy was standing behind the counter, looking down at some magazine. Lucy saw from a distance that he was handsome, despite his odd coloring. Pink hair and black eyes? Why did the sight of him make her heart race oddly. Panic seized her when her clock beeped for the final time, signifying one minute. Was this the one?

Her feet stopped moving, jerking her dad to a stop. He looked back at her curiously just as the boy looked up. Lucy felt the world freeze when their eyes locked and everything seemed to fade away. She took a step forward...

And then she bolted. With a nervous squeak she sprinted out the door and out into the street. She could hear her dad call out after her, but Lucy didn't allow her legs to stop moving.

It took Lucy thirty seconds to realize what she'd done and stop. She froze in the middle of the sidewalk, breathing hard, while people bustled all around her. Her heart pounded from its sudden restart and to her surprise, she felt tears on her cheeks. What was she doing? That was the one, she knew it, yet she had ran away from him like a coward. Heat of regret and sadness filled her chest, and the feeling only got worse when someone grabbed her shoulder. First she'd ditched her soulmate, and now she was going to be abducted. Could the day get any worse?

"Hey," a smooth voice said, as Lucy covered her face with her hands. Two warm hands wrapped around her wrists and pulled her hands away from her eyes. She lowered them slowly, blinking in surprise at two black eyes. Her mind just registered it was the boy from the store when two simultaneous beeps filled the air. Their eyes widened and they looked down at their arms. Lucy's watch read zero, and she saw that his was the same. Her heart rate quickened as she looked up, meeting his eyes shyly. He smiled brightly. His grin was so great that she felt her own lips stretching into a smile. "Hey there soulmate, I'm Natsu."

"I'm Lucy," she whispered. She felt so out of breath, but she knew it wasn't from running. It was from the breathtaking boy in front of her with the giant grin, that intense look in his eyes, and the way he had referred to her as 'soulmate'. This was her soulmate. This was her other half.

"It's nice to finally meet you, but I hope you know, I don't plan on letting you run away." He smirked at her, taking her hand and pulling her closer to him. For a second, Lucy was slightly terrified, thinking he was going to kiss her already, but Natsu only pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her. The hug was such a secure one, one full of such love, that Lucy instantly sank into it. Her heart pounded, but it was with excitement, not fear.

"That's okay," she muttered into his chest, just as his arms tightened around her. "I don't plan on running away."


End file.
